I don’t mean to sound crass, but I could have come at the sound of his voice in my ear. Okay, that was crass – sorry. But I was absolutely going with him.

Chapter Ten

‘Sarah, what are you doing?’ Josh. He looked hurt.

‘What do you mean?’ Playing dumb.

‘You’re really going off with this guy?’

‘We’re going to meet up with a friend of his – and a new client – an artist.’ I tried to make it sound as innocuous as possible.

‘But—’ He stopped short, a pained expression in his eyes.

‘What, Josh?’ I looked at him intensely. ‘What?’ I could tell he didn’t want me to leave with the silver fox, but would he say it? Would he finally articulate how he felt about me? I realised I was clenching my fists as I waited for his response.

‘I just …’ I was willing him to say something – anything – that would make me want to stay. I had only known him a few days, but I cared about him. I was attracted to him, and maybe I wanted to be with him after the trip. But not if he was going to pout like a little boy, and not if he wouldn’t say he wanted me too. I searched his eyes for what I hoped – and sort of feared – was there. God, he has beautiful eyes.

‘Never mind.’ A weak smile pulled at his lips for a heartbeat, then disappeared. ‘Have a good night.’

Then he walked straight past the others towards the marina. I waved to the rest of the group, not stopping to wonder what they were thinking, and walked over to James. I was excited about spending more time with him, but a shitty feeling had made itself at home in my heart.

Here I was, thousands of miles from home, not having expected to meet anyone – not wanting to meet anyone – and wouldn’t you know it? I had two suitors – Gerry was right – and they couldn’t have been more different.

I gave my attention to the one I’d chosen to spend the rest of the evening with.

‘Everything all right?’ He looked genuinely concerned.

I flashed a million-watt smile, even if on the inside I felt about seventy watts. ‘Absolutely. Let’s go.’ He didn’t seem wholly convinced, but didn’t press me for a further explanation. He started walking and I fell into step beside him.

‘So, tell me about this new artist we’re meeting.’

‘In broad strokes, he pays homage to ancient Cycladic art. You’ve probably seen it depicted on urns and other objects, but he works on canvas. So, it’s a modern take on an ancient art form. It’s quite innovative, and at the same time, there’s something classical about it.’